20 Gallon with 4 Discus. Is it Possible?

[DarkIpsum]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and recently bought my 4 discus. I only have 20 Gallon BB tank due to space limitation. I have a canister filter, HOB and airstones. two 3inch and two 2inch discus. Is it possible to keep them there for a couple of months or even years? I do 40-50% WC everyday. Thanks

[Elite Aquaria]

DarkIpsum,

Welcome to Simply...

Of course it is possible but not advised...That size tank is OK for a month to QT the fish but not for a permanent home. If you leave them in that size tank they will never reach max potential in terms of size.

[Peachtree Discus]

As Dan said, they may be OK for a very short time. But depending on their true age, i would look to get them in another tank asap. i understand about space limitations, but the tank is simply too small. Simply stated, the longer they stay in that tank, the more they will be stunted.

[DarkIpsum]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I have to find a way to get a bigger tank without compromising too much space. May I know what tank size do you recommend for 4 discus?

Thanks

[Elite Aquaria]

I like 40 breeders over 55 gallon tanks myself...

[DarkIpsum]

I like 40 breeders over 55 gallon tanks myself...

THanks 40 Gallon? I looked at All Glass Aquarium and the 40 gallon dimension is too big. It's 36LX18DX16H. Can I get away with 3 less gallons? I found a 37 Gallon tank with 30LX12X22. Thanks

[Elite Aquaria]

Yes that will work for 4 fish...

[bs6749]

THanks 40 Gallon? I looked at All Glass Aquarium and the 40 gallon dimension is too big. It's 36LX18DX16H. Can I get away with 3 less gallons? I found a 37 Gallon tank with 30LX12X22. Thanks

A "40 Breeder" is actually closer to 45-48 gallons. The minimum that I would go with is a 55g tank, but Dan is probably speaking from experience and I know that he has many 40 Breeder tanks. They would provide more front to back swimming room and with 4 fish it may work. If you go with 5 discus though, I'd recommend a 55g tank.

[scottthomas]

There are some tanks that are taller out there, if that would help with the dimensions you are looking for. PETSMART I noticed now carries several tanks with unique footprints.

[DarkIpsum]

Thanks alot, I just finished rearranging my room to free up some space. I really can't go for 55G (48X12X21) because of the lenght 48", maybe 45G (36X12X23) or even 65G(36X18X25) if get too excited :-). I will check petsmart, petland and petco tom. Thanks a lot.

[jerzguy]

Check Craigslist and you will find better deal on a used tank.

[DarkIpsum]

Hello Just an update.

I sold my 4 small discus together with the 20Gal tank. and I bought the 38 Gallon with stand. I planning on putting 4 adult discus in my new tank. Does anybody know 4-6 inch discus for sale for a reasonable price? I'm looking for Snow White, Blue Diamond, Red Melon and Red Dragon.



Thanks

[zamboniMan]

Check with Hans or Kenny they may be a bit more costly but the quality of the fish is better and will give you less trouble.

[Darrell Ward]

THanks 40 Gallon? I looked at All Glass Aquarium and the 40 gallon dimension is too big. It's 36LX18DX16H. Can I get away with 3 less gallons? I found a 37 Gallon tank with 30LX12X22. Thanks

A 37 will work fine for 4 fish. I have a couple of them that I've used for several years for pairs.

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

Hello Just an update.

I sold my 4 small discus together with the 20Gal tank. and I bought the 38 Gallon with stand. I planning on putting 4 adult discus in my new tank. Does anybody know 4-6 inch discus for sale for a reasonable price? I'm looking for Snow White, Blue Diamond, Red Melon and Red Dragon.



Thanks

you should get 2 confirmed pairs, talk to Kenny, Hans, or Dan E. youll get hooked up nicer than you would have ever thought.

[DarkIpsum]

Thanks, The problem with pairs is I can't have a variety of discus. I can only have 2 types instead of 4. hmmm??? Do you think 4 different discus will fight each other? Is it really advisable to have 2 pairs for the size of the aquarium?
I'm still waiting for my tank to complete the cycle. I check Hans discus and asked for the prices. I really like the Red Scribbelt, Blue Pigeon Blood, Marlboro Red and the Silver Pigeon. SO I'm thinking of 4 different looks. :-)

Thanks.

[Peachtree Discus]

4 - 2 to 3 inch discus in a 37 is different than 4 - 4 to 6 inch adults. That's kinda tight, JMO. In addition, counts of 3 and 4 discus are usually not good in the long run. You may end up with 1 really stunted/stressed fish.

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

I think the tank is good size for 4 adults IMO...I know what ur sayin about wanting 4 different looks, but you may have some aggression goin on in there, also a bigger group is more advisable because they will school around, and move as 1...not all the time, but alot of the time. 4 different adults, you may end up with lots of fighting, especially during feedings, like said above...may have 1 that gets singled out. IDK...if I were you I would go with 4 adults, 2 strains, confirmed pairs. OR 5-7 juvies, and when they grow out a bit, invest in a bigger tank? Im SUUURE youll want another, or a bigger tank by then! ;)

just my 2 pennies, take care! :)

[Cooldadddyfunk286]

Id just go with a bigger group of juvies, and by the time they start packin some weight on, you can upgrade the tank? thats what I would do, especially when I look back on when I started.

confirmed pairs can get pricey if your lookin for some really nice stock. also, you may not be interested in breeding, who knows.

[DarkIpsum]

I will probably look for a 2 pairs then. How about 1pair and 2 different breed of discus? Do you guys think it will work? I can't buy juvies. I can't wait that long. :-).

[Discus-Hans]

If you buy 2 pairs you run in an other problem.......they breed, means fry, means more tanks.....means you got a problem lol

Hans

[DarkIpsum]

Wow, Discus Hans Replied to my post. Thanks. You are definitely right. I didn't think of that. May I know your suggestion for 38 gallon tank? maybe plus 5 gallon (43G total), because I'm planning on putting an open bottom tank on top of the 38G.

Thanks

[wadewc]

I have one tank with different strains of discus and two tanks with the same strains. I do not notice aggresion between the different strains but i do notice aggresion when they are six inches and bigger. Seems like they are getting territorial. Don't get me wrong i have raised some from fry and i noticed when they become juvies that set the pecking order. If i was deciding on what size of discus i wanted i would first decide on how much time you want to spend taking care of them and what you can afford. With the fry i was changing the water twice a day, alot of feeding. In my large tank with six inch and larger i change 20% daily and 80% every other day. I also clean everything in the tanks everyother day. I just bought another tank.[56 gallon. 18" deep X 24" tall X 36" long.] I plan to put five 4"+ discus in this one. I would like to get 6" but i can not afford the ones i am wanting to get at that size. Seems to me my fish grow quicker and less aggresion if i keep the 10 gallon to one fish ratio.

Just my two cents
Wade

[Keith Perkins]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=76793

Check out this thread posted by site sponsor Eric from Carolina Discus if you decide to go with 4 assorted adults. I believe he has most of the strains you're looking for or similar, and he's currently trying to thin his stock and is running a sale. If he's heavy on males or females he might even be willing to sell you all of one sex and cut you a deal and then you wouldn't have the problem of reproducing fish and an immediate space problem. Of course if you have no experience breeding discus it can be a long way from spawning discus to actually raising fry. Good luck whatever you decide.

[DarkIpsum]

wadewc -- Wow that's alot of water changes. and probably a significant increase in your water bill. :D . I can do water change everyday. I tried that before. I just stuck my Python no spill inside the aquarium and never removed it. Thanks.

CozyKeith -- THanks for the link. it helps a lot. I will try to contact Carolina.

Thanks

[Discus-Hans]

Wow, Discus Hans Replied to my post. Thanks. You are definitely right. I didn't think of that. May I know your suggestion for 38 gallon tank? maybe plus 5 gallon (43G total), because I'm planning on putting an open bottom tank on top of the 38G.

Thanks

ha ha ha that's not something unusual, I'm just one of the "guys" (and guys is not only guys, we include the girls lol)

You know, put in your tank what you want, it can be 2 of 2, 4 different ones, size, just what you can afford.

We got a special going on: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=76810

Hans

[DarkIpsum]

ha ha ha that's not something unusual, I'm just one of the "guys" (and guys is not only guys, we include the girls lol)

You know, put in your tank what you want, it can be 2 of 2, 4 different ones, size, just what you can afford.

We got a special going on: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=76810

Hans
I saw the thread and I'm really impressed with what you did also to your discus. Shop without even being there. hihihi. Will that continue for a couple of weeks? or months? I'm still waiting for my aquarium to complete the cycle. I just set the aquarium up this week. Thanks. By the way May I know the approximate size of those discus?

[DarkIpsum]

ha ha ha that's not something unusual, I'm just one of the "guys" (and guys is not only guys, we include the girls lol)

You know, put in your tank what you want, it can be 2 of 2, 4 different ones, size, just what you can afford.

We got a special going on: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=76810

Hans

I saw the thread and I'm really impressed with what you did also to your discus. Shop without even being there. hihihi. Will that continue for a couple of weeks? or months? I'm still waiting for my aquarium to complete the cycle. I just set the aquarium up this week. Thanks. By the way May I know the approximate size of those discus?